Founded in 2004, Igloo Tornado is an art fraternity represented by four artists with different styles and backgrounds but a shared absurdist sensibility: Tom Neely, Gin Stevens, Scot Nobles and Levon Jihanian. In 2006 Black Maria Gallery hosted their successful inaugural show, catapulting the careers of these four artists to new levels. This is their second show together.

Tom Neely is a painter and cartoonist living in Los Angeles. Trained as a painter, but with his heart in comics, he uses narrative elements to tell stories through his growing body of paintings and comic books. In 2007 he published his award-winning debut graphic novel, The Blot, and had an acclaimed solo show at Black Maria Gallery. Working in various modes of drawing, painting, sculpture and sequential art, Neely represents the next step in the fusion of high art and comics. His new work involves a series of painted comic strip poems and grotesque figurative paintings.

Gin Steven’s art career began the day he was abandoned on the steps of a Baptist Church. His work explores the deep Southern culture that surrounded him from an early age, often depicting natural disasters, portraiture and spiritual imagery. At 17, he took a Greyhound to Chicago with dreams of studying at The Art Institute of Chicago. He soon opted for the punk rock theory of doing it yourself. Gin now resides in Los Angeles, where he has been creating work for private commission, album covers, and rock posters. He has had many shows at galleries in and around Los Angeles over the past several years. His new work is about Elvis.

Scot Nobles creates collages with contrasting textures and images using a unique acrylic paint technique. Words, ideas, colors, designs and motifs all overlap to create a seemingly random, yet structured, pattern. Each of Scot’s pieces of art is a snapshot, a moment from his daily life that offers a glimpse into the subconscious inner workings of his mind.  He has been exhibiting at galleries throughout Los Angeles since 2004.

Levon Jihanian lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife and cat. His paintings often feature monsters, cyclopses, and vampires. Levon has exhibited in galleries in Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denton, and Ontario. He has written, drawn and self-published several comic books including Bitter Disappointment, Enjoy the Hotdog and Fork Frenzy. His new work is a series of monster portraits that reflect loathing, amusement, and a fascination with humanity’s inherent weaknesses.